1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to an ashtray apparatus and, more particularly, to an ashtray apparatus which has a removable handle capable of storage within the ashtray itself during storage and transport, wherein such an ashtray likewise facilitates the retention of a cigarette, as well as the extinguishing and disposal thereof.
2. Background Art
The use of ashtray apparatuses has been known in the art for countless years. As such, improvements to the ashtray have been made to facilitate the retention, extinguishing, and/or disposal of cigarettes. While such designs have been developed, there have nevertheless been a plurality of drawbacks associated with prior designs. For example, prior designs generally include an integrated handle which may limit the flexibility and usability of the ashtray apparatus. Moreover, ashtrays having integrated handles are generally costly to package and ship inasmuch as they have an odd shape and configuration. As a result, packaging containers for such ashtrays have a volume which remains largely empty when packed with said ashtrays. Furthermore, many ashtray apparatuses are not properly sized to receive a cigarette butt, especially when the cigarette is extinguished prior to being fully spent. Further still, many extinguishing ashtrays are molded from a plastic material which, typically, quickly becomes discolored, melted, and/or burned after only a short usage time.
As a result, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the deficiencies, drawbacks, and/or complications of the prior art.
The present invention is directed to an ashtray apparatus comprising: (a) a container including: (1) a base; and (2) a surround member extending from the base, the base and surround member cooperating to define a cavity having an opening; (b) a cap member engageable with the container, to, in turn, cover at least a portion of the opening of the container, the cap member including a channel extending therethrough for communication with the cavity of the container; and (c) a handle assembly releasably associable with at least one of the base and the cap member.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the handle assembly further comprises: (a) a housing defining a cavity; and (b) a handle, the handle including: (1) a base having a first end and a second end; (2) a housing tab associated with the first end of the base; and (3) a retaining tab associated with the second end of the base. A portion of the housing tab is releasably retainable within the cavity of the housing.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the retaining tab includes an outwardly concave orientation, substantially matching the outwardly convex orientation of the surround member of the container.
In yet another preferred embodiment, the housing tab and the retaining tab are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance.
In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the base of the handle is substantially planar.
Preferably, the housing of the handle assembly further includes: (a) a pair of opposing side walls; (b) a top wall extending between the opposing side walls; and (c) an outer wall spanning the opposing side walls and the top wall. In this embodiment, preferably, the outer wall is uniformly spaced apart from the surround member to, in turn, provide a substantially uniform cavity defined thereby.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the handle assembly further comprises a handle which is structurally configured for full insertion into the cavity of the container upon covering of the opening of the container by the cap member.
In yet another preferred embodiment, the handle assembly is structurally configured to be positionable in an orientation within the cavity wherein the retaining tab is in substantial abutment with the base of the container upon covering of the opening of the container by the cap member.
Preferably, the ashtray apparatus further comprising means for locking the handle assembly in an articulated configuration. In this embodiment, preferably, the locking means further comprises: (a) an opening associated with one of the handle and the housing; (b) a pin associated with the other of the handle and the housing, the pin being capable of selective communication with the opening; and (c) means for biasing the pin relative to the opening to selectively facilitate the locking of the housing and the handle in releasable engagement.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the handle assembly comprises: (a) a recess associated with an upper edge of the surround member; and (b) a handle, the handle including: (1) a base having a first end and a second end; (2) a housing tab associated with the first end of the base; and (3) a retaining tab associated with the second end of the base. A portion of the housing tab is releasably positionable within the recess associated with the upper edge of the surround member, and, in turn, is releasably retained by the engagement of the cap member.
In another preferred embodiment, the handle assembly comprises: (a) a recess associated with an outer surface of the surround member; (b) a handle, the handle including; (1) a base having a first end and a second end, the first end of the base member being rotatably mounted to the outer surface of the surround member; and (2) a retaining tab having being rotatably mounted to the second end of the handle, the handle being articulatable from a collapsed orientation, wherein the handle is substantially within the recess, to an articulated orientation.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the channel extending through the cap member includes a top end and a bottom end, and wherein the bottom end of the cap member is spaced apart from the base of the container at a predetermined distance, to, in turn, facilitate the passage of a partially smoked cigarette into the cavity of the container. In this embodiment, preferably, the bottom end of the cap member is spaced apart from the base of the container a distance corresponding to about at least approximately 2 inches.
Preferably, the cap member further includes a plurality of cigarette retaining regions.
Additionally, portions of the ashtray apparatus preferably comprise a molded plastic material impregnated with a fire retardant material.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least a portion of the container and the cap member comprises a molded plastic material impregnated with a fire retardant material.